[e2e] What is the meaning of "end-to end"?

[demir]

> As for the meaning of "end-to-end", I hope you will not think me
> frivolous if I say that it means what it says.  In any computer
> communication, there are n >= 2 end points, called "end systems" by the
> OSI folks and "hosts" by the Internet crowd (or sometimes vice versa).
> End-to-end protocol issues are those that operate between (or among)
> two (or more) end systems.  In this (simplistic) view, the network has
> two parts, the "ends" (hosts) and the middle (routers).  Because of the
> statelessness of Internet routers, end-to-end issues are particularly

Philosophically, I think, n >= 0. However, traditional computer
communication systems are based on n >= 2. I assume the "complexity"
depends on how big n is. 

Alper K. Demir